Stacker.



n susa CHARLES PEARSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER- I COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW .'IERSIEIY.

STACKER.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES PEARSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stackers, of which ther following is a full, clear, and eXact specification.

My invention relates to stackers.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide stackers of the type wherein the material to be stacked, such as hay or the like, is elevated from the ground, as from a sweep rake, by a fork suspended from a boom and swung to a position over the stack, where it has been released by various means. These devices have been, however, of a heavy, rigid and unwieldy character entailing considerable expense in their manufacture and seriously handicapping their usefulness on account of the` difficulty in ytransporting the same from place to4 place in their operation and to require undue labor on the part of the operator.

My invention has for its object to improve and simplify the construction of stackers in such a manner as to produce a light, strong stacker adapted to use under varying conditions, which is at the same time ofsufficient rigidity to enable it to .lift a considerable load, and of sufficiently light weight to enable it to be readily transported as desired. @ther and more specific objects of my invention include the provision of a stable stacker which is readily adapted to adjustment in connection with a Stack' and may be entirely automatic in its operation, the material being automatically carried into any desired position over the stack and then automatically dumped. I attain these objects by the provision of an improved stacker comprising, among other features, improved means for adjusting the same relatively to the stack, improved means for automatically controlling the movement of the boom thereof andv the actuation of the fork, as well as improved means for securing the stacker in position with respect to the stack.. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. It 1s, of

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 20 191% Appli-cation led. August 8, 1913. Serial No. 783,808.

course, to be understood, however, that the forms shown herein for purposes of illustration may be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Figure lis a side elevation of this form of stacker.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of part ofthe boom `adjusting mechanism vshowing the parts in different positions.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3fof Fig. l, likewise showing the parts in different positions.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in another position Of the parts. Y

Fig. 6 is a detailjview taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Y

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the stacker diagrammatic-ally as it is used in the field.

l In the construction illustrated I have shown a stacker comprising a base 1 mounted on a wheeled truck having a mast 3 rotatably mounted on' said base and adjustable with respect thereto, a boom 4 carried on the upper end of the mast, and a fork 5 suspended from the boom; all of the mechanism cooperating and being controlled, adjusted and otherwise specifically improved as hereinafter set forth. v

The base 1 is, as shown in Figs. l and 7 of substantially triangular cross section comprising horizontal base `members' disposed in the shape of a triangle and united at their ends, having upstanding converging frame members 6 rigidly attached thereto at their points 'of juncture. As shown, a plurality of parallel transport wheels 2 are provided on opposite sides of the base vthus formed, while a guiding or caster wheel 7 is pivoted under the other end of the Vframe and in front of the wheels 2. As shown in Fig. l, the members l and 6 are suitably braced by braces 8 rigidly connected to the same, and the members 6 are similarly braced by cross braces 9 at points above the I a rigid and stationary base for the stacker under varying stacking conditions, means are provided to increase the size of the base 1 and brace the latter. rlhese means comprise a plurality of stakes 13 pivotally connected at their upper ends to rings 141- forined on the upper part of the base at points adjacent the casting 1() and beneath the same. As shown, these stakes are each made in two parts and are extensible and of the folding tripod type, each being provided with a pair Of telescoping swivel pin connections 15 intermediate their ends and ground penetrating lower ends having any suitable means the-reen, such as a rotatable pipe connection 16, to prevent them from being driven too deep into the ground. As shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1, these stakes may be folded up upon the frame in such a manner as to afford a very compact construction for transport.

Carried by the truncated base thus formed is the bottom section of the vertical mast 3. lThis section, which we will call a, is preferably formed of angle material and of triangular cross section, braced throughout its length by braces 17 to form a rigid construction of the truss type. The top of the same protrudes through the opening in the casting 10 carried on the top of the base 1, and the bottom of the same is journaled on a suitable bearing plate 1S carried on supports 19 extending inwardly from points intermediate the ends of the base members 1 to a point substantially beneath the opening in the casting 10. As shown in Fig. 4:, the lower end of this section is seated in a suitable casting 20 having upstanding legs to which the lower ends of the section a are fixed. As shown, the lower face of this plate rotates upon the bearing member 18 and a suitable pivo-t bolt 21 is also provided to secure the parts together. The upper end of this section ci also carries a bracket 22 having downwardly extending lugs 23 on its sides in which are journaled a plurality of rollers or trolley wheels 24 adapted to rotate in engagement with the annular flange or track 12 on the casting 10, the construction of the parts being such that the weight of the section a is carried upon this track rather than upon the bearing plate 18.

Upon the upper end of the section a and fixed to this bracket 22 isa second mast section b of substantially the same general construction as section a. This section o is equipped with a bracket 25 upon its lower end which is pivotally connected with the bracket 22 by means of suitable hinge pin connections 26,. and is adjustable with respect thereto when desired to vary the angular position of the section, through an adjusting screw 27. As shown, this adjusting screw is pivoted at its upper end at 2S to a lug 28 on the bracket 25 and extends through a cooperating, angularly disposed bifurcated lug 29 on the bracket 22, an adj usting wheel 30, pivoted to the lug 29,v being provided which is adapted to feed the screw 27, the latter being disposed diagonally` downward in such a manner as to render the adjusting wheel readily accessible to an operator when desired. llt is to be noted in this connection that while the section ZJ is rigidly attached to the lower section a, the angle of the same with respect thereto may be readily adjusted as desired upon the adjustment of the right hand connection 26, the entire section b then being angularly adjustable toward or from the position shown in Fig. 2 upon rotation of the wheel 30 in the proper direction. lt is further to be noted that by simple disconnection of the screw 27 and the attachment means 26, the entire section I) may be removed from the base when desired.

Upon the upper end of the section o in the form illustrated herein, is a third mast section c which is of the same general construction as the sections a and b heretofore described and secured to the section Z2 in substantially the same way as the latter is secured to the section a, a bracket 31, similar to the bracket 22, being carried upon the upper end of the section b and the section c having a cooperating bracket 32 upon its lower end which is provided with lugs and attached to suitable corresponding lugs on the bracket member 31 by any suitable removable attaching means 33. Also, in order to enable the section 0 to be adjusted with respect to section b, I have provided upon the bracket 32 an elongated depending lug 34 having a plurality of openings 35 therein arranged one above the other and each adapted to receive the attaching means. Obviously, by shifting the adjustment so as to attach the bracket 32 to the bracket 31 by the use of the lower opening 35, the angle of the section c with respect to section Z) may be changed, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Further, in order that section may be removed entirely and section c attached directly to section c, l have equipped the former with an upstanding angularly disposed lug 36 corresponding to the lug 2S on the bracket member 25 to which the threaded shaft 27 is pivotally connected; lt is thus seen that when section c is set directly upon the section a, the former may be adjusted in the same manner as the intermediate section Z).

Upon the upper end of the section c the boom e is carried. This boom projects laterally from the mast and is rigidly attached thereto, being braced with respect to the same by means of downwardly disposed braces 37 rigidly attached to the boom Vat their outer ends and to the mast at their inner endsyat a point beneath therpoint of d juncture of the boom and mast. 'Io the outer end of this boom one end of a fork carrying rope or cable 38 is attached at 39. As shown, this rope extends downward from the boom and carries a sheave 40 suspended thereon to which is pivotally connected the fork 5, the latter being swivelly connected to the-sheave 40 and of the well known type having controlling mechanism 41 whereby, upon a predetermined tension being applied to a controlling rope 42, the fork is caused to open to release its load. The rope or cable 38 also passes over a sheave 43 journaled on the boom 4 at a point adjacent the rope connection 39 and Jfrom that point passes diagonally downward and then directly downward through the mast sections c, b and a, passing over guiding sheaves 44, 45, 46 and 47 suitably positioned upon the several sections at points adjacent their attaching brackets in such a manner as to act as guides, insuring the'free passage of the rope in the several angular positions of the mast. In order to guide the rope as it passeslaterally Jfrom the bottom of the mast section a, a sheave 48 is employed which is located upon the opposite side of the mast from the next upper sheave 47, and is journaled in suitable upstanding lugs 48 formed upon the upper face of the rotatable casting 20. The rope or cable passes around this sheave into a'plane substantially parallel with the ground, passing out around one or the other of a plurality of horizontally disposed sheaves 50 journaled on a horizontally disposed laterally extending lug or lip 51 (Fig. 5) formed on the casting 2O and covered by a single horizontally disposed protecting plate 52. As shown, these sheaves permit the free passage of the rope 38 when pulled in or out in a horizontal lane as for instance b a horsel the two.

sheaves being employed so that the stack may be built on either side of the stacker.

In order that the swinging movement of the fork 5 may be automatic, I have provided improved mechanism controlling the rotatable movement of the mast. As heretofore described, the rope 42 is connected to i the fork 5, and, as shown in Fig. 1, extends downward therefrom to a point adjacent the mast bearing, where it is connected at its lower end, as shown in Fig. 3, to the free outer end of a laterally disposed adjustable locking lever 53. As shown, this lever 53 is pivoted in a slotted bracket 54 upon the fiX-ed or bottom casting 18 and the inner end of the same is normally received in one of a plurality of suitable notches 55` in an annular flange 56 formed on the bottom of the rotatable casting 2O which Vis fixed` to the lower end of the mast section a, the eli'ect being to lock the mast in position. l/Vhen, in the operation of the device, however, the outer end ot' this member 53 is raised, as,

suitable manner in order to accommodate l the device to different stacking conditions. For instance, a pin 57 may be setin any one of a plurality of openings or holes 58 in an annular upstanding flange 59 formed on the upper face of the stationary bearing plate 18, the limit of travel being established by the engagement of this pin with the walls of suitable portions 60 formedon the sides, of the lip or lug 51 on `the casting 2Ov (Fig, 3). It is to be noted in this connection that upon the engagement of one of these pins with the lug 51, the increased tension upon the rope 42 then acts to actuate the releasing mechanism 41 in such a manner as to cause the fork to open and release its load. Attention is also directed to the fact that in the construction shown, the lever 53 is reversible so that the stack may be built on opposite sides of the sides of the stacker and the same lever 53 may be used; a suitable bracket 61, corresponding to the bracket 54, being provided on theopposite side of the casting 18. Further, in order that the fork may be automatically returned to its initial' or loading position, after it has been swung around with each load, I have provided suitable automatic returning mechanism. This mechanism is shown herein to comprise a spring 62 connected by a chain 63 to the mast section a at a point near the bottom of the same and connected at its opposite end at 64 to one of the upstanding lsupports 6.

In order that the stacker may further bei adapted to use under those conditions re` quiring a rigidstationary mast, I have'pro`` vided means for locking the mast against rotary movement with respect to the base. These means in the form shown herein com-V prise a hand operated locking lever 65 pivoted at 66 to the casting-20 on the bottom of mast section a, which isadapted to engage in any one of a plurality of notches 67 `formed in the iange on the casting 18 intermediate the holes formed therein to receive the pin 57. Obviously, when it is desired to make the parts rigid, it is only necessary to throw the lever 65 downward un. til it engages with the desired slot, whereupon the entire mast is rigidly connected to its base. Further, in order that this hand lever 65 may not interfere with the operation of the machine when used vas a` stacker of the sv-.finging type, through its tendency to drop downward by gravity into engagement with one oi2 the notches as the mast is rotating, l have provided suitable holding means therefor. rlfhese means are shown herein to comprise a removable pin 67 which is adapted to pass through holes 68 in the casting 20 and the rear end of the lever and hold the lever in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, in such a manner that the standard andv tori; may be rotated as desired.

The operation ot' the construction shown is as follows:

Referring to the diagrammatic illustration or" the stacker shown in 7,. it is to be noted that the stacker is so disposed with respect to the stach that the latter is built at one side of the base, tivo of the stalres 13 being fixed in the ground so that they will be covered by the stack, while the third stake is fixed in the ground at a pointin rear of the stacker in snch a manner as to coperate with its fellows in forming a stable base. As shown, the stack is being built on the left hand side of the stacker and the horse moves back and forth at the right ot the stacker, while the material to be stacked is delivered in back oic the stacker. bviously, it cesired, however, the stack may be built on the right hand side ot the stacker, the stakes then being changed to correspond and the horse in that instance moving baclr and forth on the lefthand side of the stacker. After the forli 5 has gripped its load, as, :tor instance, from a sweep rake, the horse is started in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 7, the rope 38 being drawn out and raising the fork 5. /lihen the latter reaches the position shown in Fig. l through the connection of the rope 4t2 to the adjustable locking lever 53, this lever is raised, releasing the mast 3. The continued pull on the rope 38 as the horse moves outward then swings the mast about on its pivot, carrying the fork around to a position over the stack determined by the position of the pin 57. l/Vhen, during this movement of the mast, the lug 5l strikes the pin 57, the movement et the mast is arrested by the engagement of the pin with the lug 5l and the continued pull on the rope 38 results in an increased tension on the rope d2, which in turn acts to actiiate the controlling mechanism 41 et the forli and causes the `fork to open to discharge its load. is soon as the load is discharged, the horse is returned to his initial position and as the tension on the rope 33 is released, the spring 62 acts to swing the mast back about its pivot to its initial position, carrying with it the JOrk so that by the time the horse has returned to his initial position, the fork has not only been lowered to loading position, but has also been swung back to its initial nosition. .it is apparent that by a suitable adjustment ot the rope 42, as, for instance, by lengthening or shortening the same, the height of discharge and the point to which the load is swung may be adjusted as de ired. Further, it is to be noted that as the stack is built, the stacker may be adjusted with respect thereto in order to enable the stach to be topped cti?, it desired, or for any other purpose, by adjusting the lower hand wheel 30, the upper part of the stacker then being movable bodily toward the stack. Similarly the upper section ot the stacker may be also adjusted relatively to the staar, and iip4 it is desired to use a short stacker, as, for instai'ice, in building low stacks, or loading onto wagons, the intermediate section or" the mast may be removed. Attention is further directed to the fact that whenever it is desired to move the stacker :trom place to place, the same may be readily prepared for shipping or transport, trie parts forming a compact structure. These and other advantages of the construction shown herein will be clearly apparent to one skilled in the stacker art.

jWhile l have in this application described only one embodiment of my invention, it is, of course, to be understood that the form shown herein is merely illustrative thereof and is susceptible ot modiiication without departing from the spirit of my invention.

lid/That l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. ln a stacking machine, a frame, a boom carrying mast rotatably mounted thereon, a fork suspended from said boom, means 'tor raising and lowering said fork with respect to said boom, and means connecting said fork to said frame for limiting` the upward movement of said forl and for releasing the load from said fork when the latter has reached a predetermined position.

2. ln a stacking machine, a frame, a mast journaled thereon, load conveving mechanism carried thereby, means for locking the mast to the frame, and means connecting the load conveying and locking means tor aetnating the lock and controlling a release movement ot the load conveying means.

3. lin a stacking machine, a frame, a mast journaled thereon, load conveying mechanism carried thereby, means for locking the mast to the frame, and means connecting the load conveying means and locking means' whereby the lock is actuated and a release movement of the load conveying means iollows as the load is moved.

et. En a stacking machine, a frame, a mast rotatably mounted therein, mechanism locking said mast to said frame, load conveying mechanism carried by said mast, and operative connections between said load conveying mechanism and said locking mechanism for automatically actuating the latter torelease said mast and load in predetermined positions of the load.

5. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast journaled therein, means for locking said mast to said frame, load conveying mechanism carried by said mast, means controlling the operation of said conveying mechanism automatically releasing said locking mechanism and swinging said mast about on its axis, and means independent of said load carrying mechanism for automatically returning said mast to its initial position.

G. In a stacking machine, a frame, a bearing-plate fixed thereon, a mast jou'rnaled on said frame, load conveying mechanism carried by said. mast and movable with respect thereto, means thereby locking said mast to said bearing plate, and supplemental manually adjustable means for rendering said last mentioned means inoperative.

7. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast carried thereon, a load carrying member adjustable with respect thereto, means for locking said mast with respect to said frame, and means automatically operated in a predetermined position of said load carrying member for releasing` said locking mechanism when said load reaches a predetermined height and releasing said load after the same has swung through a predetermined angle.

8. In a stacking machine, a base, a boom carrying mast rotatably mounted thereon, load conveying mechanism, means for locking said mast with respect to said base, operative connections between said locking and load conveying mechanisms, and means for varying the elevation of said load conveying mechanism, automatically releasing said locking mechanism, swinging said mast and load and releasing the load, from said load conveying mechanism.

9. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast rotatably mounted thereon, means normally locking said mast with respect to said frame, load conveying mechanism carried by said mast, means for varying the elevation of said load conveying mechanism and automatically releasing said mast at a predetermined position thereof, automatically swinging said mast about its axis and releasing the load from said load conveying mecha.- nism after a predetermined swinging movement thereof, and means for automatically returning said mast and load conveying mechanism to their initial positions.

10. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast rotatably mounted thereon, a loa-d conveying fork, means for raising and lowering said fork with respect to said mast, locking means controlling the rotation of said mast, and means extending directly between said forl and said locking means for automatically releasable` successively actuating said locking mechanism and said fork vas Said raising and lowering means is operated. v

11. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast journaled thereon, a load releasing fork,

vsaid mast in lixed position vwith respect to said frame, a, load carrying member, means for raising and lowering the same with respect to said mast, and means movable with said load carrying member directly connected between the same and said locking means and independent of said raising and lowering means for controlling the operation of said locking mechanism.

13. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast journaled thereon, mechanisml for locking said mast in fixed position with respect to said frame, a load conveying member, means for raising and lowering the same with respect to said'mast, and means movable with said load conveying member and directly connected to said Locking mechanism successively actuating the latter and said load carrying mechanism as said raising and lowering means is operated.

14. In a stacking machine, a frame, a mast journaled thereon, a load carrying member, means for raising and lowering the same with respect to said mast, means for locking said mast in a fixed position with respect to said fra-me, and automatically acting means whereby as said raisingA and lowering means is operated the said mast is released and swung about its axis and said load carrying means isl actuated f after a predetermined movement of said mast.

15. In a stacking machine, a base, a mast pivoted on said base having a notched depending iiange thereon, a load carrying member suspended from said mast, and a lever pivoted on said base and operatively connected to said load carrying member having one end thereof engaging certain of the notches in the flange on said mast.

16. In a stacking machine, a frame, a bearing plate carried thereon, a mast journaled on said bearing'plate, a lever pivoted to said bearing plate engaging said mast and normally positioning the same with respect to said plate, and supplemental means carried on said mast engaging said plate to position said mast with respect to said plate when said lever is actuated to release said mast.

` 17 Ina stacking machine, a frame having a relatively wide base, a multi-.sectional mast Journaled thereon, `mechanism for locking@ journaled in said frame, one of the sections being removable to affect the range of operation, a boorn carried on one of the sections of said mast adapted to be adjusted laterally, a fork suspended'from said boom, and means whereby said boom carrying section may be adjusted bodily about its fork in any of its Vertical positions to adjust laterally the point of suspension of said fork.

18. In a stacking machine, a frame having a relatively wide base, a 1multi-sectional mast j ournaled in said traine, different sections of which may be adjusted laterally, one of the sections being removable to affect the range of operation, a boom carried by one of the sections of said mast a fork sus ended from adjust laterally the point of suspension of said fork.

ln testimony whereof I my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES PEARSON. l/Vitnesses:

RAY PATTIsoN, R. W MARTIN.

Genies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

